NoVATie

Either or, my friend

Yes, those things have a mind of their own!

I found screen that I thought would be appropriate at Home Depot, but they only had it in huge rolls. Is there a source for smaller pieces? Do you guys keep the screen in with just a lot of hot glue? One layer of screen or multiple ones glued on top of each other? Thanks

Looks great

I know I've seen those Star Wars sheets before, in someone's F/S thread for blasters I think.

Looks incredible!

Looks great so far, keep up the good work!

Cool

@ Justin: That's a popular thought, but the issue is, when you have the wires running down from your helmet to somewhere else on your costume, what do you do when you take the helmet off? If they're too short then you can break connections and pull things out, and if they're too long you've got stuff dangling. @THX: What voltage are the fans?

I hope the tutorial helps wiring-wise, but what I changed now is (1) 9-volt wired in series with (2) AAs per fan. This gives 12V to each fan and will last longer than those tiny A23s

Been there, done that . I clocked one A23 at about 45mins of run time. It's not that hard to wire up (1) 9-volt and (2) AAs in series for 12V and that will last much longer than the A23.

What the heck is this silver thing in the background

That's the most important part

I don't see why not, as long as you've got a way to mount them.

TK 5597 Requesting status http://501st.com/members/displaymemberdeta...hp?userID=10787

So 4 AAs per fan? I am thinking about wiring 1 9V and 2AAs to get 12V for these things. My brain is starting to hurt

Were you pushing 9V to each 12V fan or 2 9V's per fan? Or, is it 1 9V and 2 AAs per fan?

I'm running a test on the battery right now. This was sort of a last minute thing because I have my first troop on Saturday. If these 12Vs don't work, I will wire it up with twin 9Vs per fan and push 18 through them and re-group after the weekend. I chose the slider switch just because I like the positive feel of the slider and I figured with this size I would be able to use it with gloves on. I plan to have the switch right under the ear and the batteries in the back. Here's a question: How long would 2 9Vs last?

Another quick fan tutorial for those of you that need some air in your bucket. And we'll be doing it on the cheap! . I found 12V fans online, and found some 12V batteries at Walmart that are used for key fobs, and other small electronics. I will be testing these batteries this weekend to see how long they can put out continuous power, but the price and the size was right. I didn't want a huge stack of AAs in my helmet. Parts List: 1. Two (2) Evercool 40mm fans from NewEgg.com, the model number is EC4010M12CA, item # 35-119-049 - $2.99EA x 2= $5.98 These fans come with a yellow wire as well for speed control. Since we're not using a controller I just cut the yellow wire down at the fan. 2. Two (2) "N" battery holders from Radio Shack. I think these are made for slightly wider batteries but the 12Vs I picked up fit just fine, item #2700405. - $0.99EA x 2 = $1.98 3. 1 Pack of 2 sliding switches from Radio Shack, item #2750401 - $2.99 4. 1 Pack of 2 A23 12V batteries from Walmart - $3.47 5. Spool of red 18 gauge wire from Walmart (was the smallest they had) - $2.68 6. Soldering iron - already had 7. Solder - already had 8. Scissors, wire strippers 9. Electrical tape Grand total for the project: $17.10. First off, the diagram. This is for one (1) fan circuit, and I used two in my bucket - one for each side. I just figured it would be simplest with 2 independent circuits. Now here's the wiring side of things: Solder the wire coming off the positive lead of the battery holder to one of the switch terminals: Solder the intermediate wire to the other switch terminal: Run the negative wire from the fan (black) straight back to the negative of the battery. You could use black wire if you wanted, but I only bought one spool of wire, so both my positive and negative wires are red. Solder the other end of the intermediate wire from the switch to the positive (red) lead on the fan. My intermediate wires are both about 12" but that will vary depending on how you want to route them in your helmet: And the two circuits complete and ready to be put in the bucket: The soldering and wiring took about 30-40 minutes, and I plan on just taping the circuits in. Quick and simple

Well at least you've got the parts laid out right . Look at the Dave's Garage videos on YouTube, and just ask questions if you've got them. I did the forearms first, and once you get the hang of how the parts fit together, the rest is easy.

That's a great idea

I'd give yourself a week. That will allow parts to dry and let you take your time to get a good fit with everything.

Exactly what I thought. Cool picture.

I got E6000 at Jo-Anns. I imagine Michael's or Total Crafts would have it too.

Haha. I think I have the positioning figured out. A little more room to move and the buttons aren't covered so I'm good